On a day in which legendary goalie Martin Brodeur wasn't traded, GM Lou Lamoriello certainly didn’t seem bummed that he wasn't able to do more adding to a team that was two points out of a playoff spot after beating Detroit 4-3 at home on Tuesday night.

On the contrary, the Hall of Fame exec seemed a bit giddy about adding Ruutu, a very gritty Finn who, despite scoring just five goals and 16 points in 57 games this season, has had some productive offensive seasons.

Here's what Lamoriello had to say about Ruutu during his Q&A with print reporters after Wednesday's deadline passed:

Q: Did you accomplish your trade-deadline goals?

Lamoriello: “Well, our intentions were to certainly get a top-9 forward with a lot of grit who competes and has a habit of playing in big games. We played enough against (Ruutu) over the years and we feel good about it.”

Q: Where does Ruutu fit? Is he a center or a wing?

Lamoriello: “The coaches will decide that. He's a left shot, but can play anywhere.”

Q: Ruutu hasn’t scored much this season, but had a pretty good Olympics for Finland, five points in six games. What’s the recent scouting report on him?

Lamoriello: “The thing is he came off (hip surgery) from last year and a little rehab. It takes awhile (to rebound). But we followed him and he did have an excellent (Olympics). … He does the things we like to see. He gets right in your face.”

Q: Can Ruutu play special teams?

Lamoriello: “Yeah. He's played in all situations. He's not a player that's one dimensional. He was a pretty high draft pick. We remember when Chicago took him (ninth overall in 2001). He's been consistent and he's scored. He's had a 26-goal season, so it's something that he's capable of doing. Change of scenery, change of a lot of things … He's delighted to be here. He had to make the decision to come here because he has a no-trade clause, so that decision was on him 100 percent."

Q: Is there any retention of salary?

Lamoriello: “Yes.”

Q: Did you come close to any other deals?

Lamoriello: “Well, I’ll tell you one thing: The last 48 hours, the (NHL) transactions, I wouldn’t have predicted the way they started to go. It was interesting. … As far as what we’re trying to do, we’re always trying to get better. And there’s a price that you have to pay. You have to weigh what’s too much and what’s too little. But we feel very good about this addition because (Ruutu’s) also here for a couple years. He’s (31) years old. He takes care of himself and he knows how to play. And I think he brings a certain dimension that we need.”

Q: Based on some of the other trades from around the league and what you have now, are you still confident about the Devils’ playoffs chances?

Lamoriello: “I will tell you this. I was confident prior to making this transaction about this team. I think that some of our players have just started to find themselves after the break. We’ve got a couple others that I think are really ready to achieve. We’re a team. We have to play as a team. I think our coaching staff has done a good job of maximizing that. Once you get in the playoffs, it’s anybody’s chance. But you have to get there first. We’re right there in the mix. We have to win. It’s as simple as that.”

Q: Will Ruutu be in Newark for Thursday’s practice or meet the team in Detroit for Friday night’s game?

Lamoriello: He’s actually flying back with (the Hurricanes on Wednesday) from San Jose. If everything goes right with travel arrangements, he’ll be here (Thursday) for practice.”